


Sky Blue Eyes

by SetoAngel01



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Aerith Can't Deal, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Puppy Zack Fair, Sexy AF Zack Fair, Zack Fair Being Zack Fair, they're so in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SetoAngel01/pseuds/SetoAngel01
Summary: AU where Zack is the first person to show Aerith the sky.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	Sky Blue Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Just letting you know, I'm leaving out Aerith's Cetra heritage (plus everything that entails) and the Turks out of this fict. It was already getting too long without getting into all of that. I planned on writing about the Planet's premonitions and stuff before his deployment to Niebelheim to be mentioned but it's too depressing and I just wanted a happy little fluff piece so hope no one minds.

Swallowing back her fear was easier said than done.

Aerith Gainsborough's entire life had been spent below the plate; her lovingly coined 'steel sky' a comforting presence that blocked out the terrifying expansion of the endless blue void above. Under the plate signified safety much like the worn security blanket folded neatly underneath her pillow. Her tiny world, the dilapidated church and flourishing garden, was her slice of refuge where nothing could harm her; it was all she had known for the entirety of her life and in all honesty, all she cared to know…

But that was all before _him,_ the boy that fell from the sky.

Zachary Fair literally crashed into her life through the roof of her church in an explosion of rotting beams and dust before landing in the middle of her precious flower garden. It was a fatal fall that would have killed anyone but a SOLDIER, who escaped with nary a scratch. Although a bit skeptical of him at first, his sunny disposition and easy-going smile had her guard lowering and before she realized it, she found herself conversing with this admittedly fascinating stranger.

Within only moments of knowing him, he'd asked her out on a date.

From that instant, she knew this boy would be trouble - this SOLDIER who worked for Shin-Ra (the company solely responsible for destroying so many lives and the planet). If his occupation wasn't troubling enough, her mother continually warned her about these handsome boys who charmed you with pretty words before leaving you hallow. Who lured you in like deadly sirens with disarming smiles to a certain fate of heartbreak and agony when they decided to thoroughly use you before abandoning you. And in same ways, her mother was right - Zack turned out to be all kinds of trouble; horrible and wonderful but easily the best thing that had _ever_ happened to her.

As much as she wanted to disregard the instant draw she had toward him, Zack was persistent and didn't make it easy for her to ignore. Terrified as she was on getting involved with anyone working for Shin-Ra, Aerith asked to see him again regardless.

There was just _something_ about him that drew her in like a moth to a flame.

Perhaps it was the fact that Aerith had never met anyone like him before.

Zack Fair stood over six feet tall, all beautifully smooth sun-kissed Gonganan skin; narrow waist but broad shoulders and thickly muscled arms that could crush her like a twig but showcased nothing but gentleness whenever he touched her. Spiky yet unexpectedly silky obsidian hair, sinfully plush petal soft lips and _those eyes_ … The color of the sky but not scary at all.

It seemed rather unfair how someone so physically attractive could also have such a wonderful personality; but he did. His endless friendly chatter, bewitching charisma, childish yet witty sense of humor, openly flirtatious behavior but with a genuinely kind-hearted personality and presence that had its own gravitational pull - it wasn't long before her supposedly impenetrable barriers came crashing down to mere rubble.

Within only weeks of knowing him, Zack had stolen her heart right out of her chest.

Yet she refused to tell him how she felt because Aerith knew all too well of his previous relationships (he never hid it after all) so she knew she needed to be cautious. Zack had quite a reputation as a ladies' man and had left a long trail of broken hearts (unintentionally, he swears) in his wake. He'd been turning heads the moment he hit puberty and was so unapologetic about his draw to the opposite sex that he'd long since lost count of the women he'd been with. Out of strict precaution, Aerith remained vigilant to guard her heart to keep it intact when whatever novelty she possessed wore off and he eventually left her behind in his stardust.

… _But he didn't._

As terrified as Aerith was of allowing him inside of her quiet little world with all his boisterous personality and ridiculously handsome face, Zack _stayed_.

Two years later, and her heart was no longer in her possession; she acquiesced her desperate grasp on the fragile organ and transferred it to his sword- calloused hands. During that time, Zack had been every first she could ever give to another person and her only hope was if she could somehow be his lasts (and hers as well if she was honest with herself). As they slept intertwined in his sheets, he admitted in hushed, heated whispers against her ear how he'd never felt for _anyone_ what he did for her…and somewhere along the way, she began to believe him.

Time passed, seasons changed and he was the one constant she'd grown to lean on. All of those doubts she harbored toward him, what seemed to be a lifetime ago, crumbled and drifted through her fingers like loose soil from her garden.

The one final barrier between them that he wanted to tear down was one she still fought against. Nearly every conversation drifted toward the fact that he wanted to be the one to show her the sky. The only first she seemed to have left where he was concerned - one she had yet to overcome.

Every time they'd met recently, Zack had _begged_ her to go with him above the plate.

Goading her by building her flower wagons after he convinced her to sell her fragrant wares ('Midgar full of flowers, wallet full of money' he'd say in that pleasant sing-song voice of his), showing her different parts of the sectors of the city she was too timid to explore on her own, slaughtering monsters for the safety of the unfortunate citizens underneath the plate, and visiting her all of the time regardless of his over-packed schedule as a First-Class SOLDIER.

It wasn't without lack of effort, much pouting, and those irresistible puppy dog eyes that Aerith found herself _finally_ agreeing.

_And that's how she found herself here._

Dressed in a silken flower-printed pink dress that she swore cost way too much (but Zack bought it for her anyway) and the promise of a romantic dinner at a popular Wutainese restaurant had her finally pushing aside her own fears and going with him above the plate.

Admittedly, It wasn't only his begging that finally had her agreeing; it hit differently when he told her that he was soon leaving on a deployment. His first major assignment in the time she'd known him. Her First Class SOLDIER - _her Zack_ \- leaving for a deployment that may mean months (even a year, perhaps even longer) without him around.

As terrified as she was of the sky, she **had** to do this - _for him_.

Yet those mindless self-assurances didn't stop her hands from shaking and knotting in the fabric of her dress during the train ride nor kept her knees from wobbling so bad she would have collapsed if it wasn't for the warm, steady hand on her waist when they finally arrived. Zack's casual charm, spoken assurances, obvious joy in his voice and confident spring to his step wasn't even enough for her to look up from her shuffling feet as they continued toward their final destination. The tread of dirt under her boots, the elongated shadows of the train platform still above them diminished abruptly - and suddenly - there was the sun.

The sensation of those harsh powerful rays cascading over her pale skin, warming her in ways she wasn't familiar with aside from the small cracks in the ceiling of her church had her freezing mid-step. Once steady breaths came out in frantic huffs as she forcefully turned her face toward the endless expansion of blue sky muddled by clouds and the circle of penetrating light overhanging.

The panic was instant. It took absolutely everything inside of her not to collapse into a fetal position upon the filthy ground and pray for mercy before the sky sucked her into it's endless abyss.

Hands shaking and shoulders trembling, she was full on ready to start crying in utter terror but before even a whimper could leave her lips, she felt pressure on her waist. There was the sudden sensation of weightlessness as her feet left the stable ground and she was abruptly spinning and flying upwards towards that very same sky - _and oh_ _ **Gaia**_ _, this was it!_ But all of a sudden, she stopped; her stomach lurched with the movement but the abrupt burst of laughter over the pounding in her eardrums had Aerith instinctively turning toward the sound.

That's when she found herself looking down into Zack's handsome smiling face.

 _Oh_. That was new.

The familiar kink in her neck from always having to look up at at his towering frame was now resting quite comfortably below her. And while she typically would never allow this kind of brazen intimacy out in the open, she realized she never wanted him to put her down. Despite the fact she didn't feel the safety of the ground beneath the soles of her boots, the security of his arms admist the terrifying endless sky stabilized her frantic heart in ways she would never quite understand.

Thickly muscled arms a comforting weight around her waist as he held her ever so gently with a fraction of the strength that lugged around a sword as big as himself. Hands that were trembling only moments before were still atop his broad shoulders and mindlessly caressing the woven fabric of his black SOLDIER-issued sleeveless turtleneck. Its woven texture, his handsome face, those incredible eyes, dashing smile and that familiar cross shaped scar on his cheek - Zack had become her safety net in this uncertain world - and within seconds, she calmed.

"Hey," Zack's silken voice filtered through the waning pounding in her ears, "It's alright. I gotcha. Just keep your eyes on me for now until you get used to it. You know I would never, _ever_ , let anything happen to you, right, babe?"

Aerith merely nodded; finally letting out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. Their intimate positions finally registering on her face; soft tummy pressing into his firm chest had butterflies gathering in her sternum and cheeks to burn brightly. Zack's attentions and touch now was nothing compared to the intimacy they'd shared between the sheets of his bed but the fact it was in public had her face flushing regardless; she could now at least blame the sun's heat for the rosiness of her cheeks.

Zack, frustratingly, was loving every second of her predicament.

Unbridled smile and tender hands on her back that weren't spinning her around anymore but the intense fluttering in her chest continued as he beamed up at her; his head tilted just the smallest bit to the side ('Zack the Puppy' indeed). Aerith knew she should get huffy about how he scared her, demand he put her down, to not let him know just how much he affected her but her reddening cheeks and hammering heart were already dead giveaways. Aerith fondly swore the man didn't need a more swollen ego but she wasn't sure if that was even possible anymore - it was rather amazing his head even fit through the door.

"Ready to try looking again?" Zack asked with a smile that she couldn't help but return.

"...Yeah, I think so," she agreed with a coy nod.

Zack chuckled, the vibrations of laughter in his chest brushing pleasantly across her abdomen, "Take your time, it's not going anywhere."

Instead of using the energy to compose a witty reply, Aerith took a moment to take a preparing breath. With one last glance at Zack's encouraging expression, she glanced up into the never-ending sky above their heads. There was absolutely nothing above her; just the expanse of different shades of blue broken up by the cotton clouds, dandelion sun and the breeze gathering through her auburn hair and end trails of her pink ribbon that he'd bought her during their very first date.

Aerith was terrified for only a split second.

The sensation of being sucked into the sky instantly waning upon feeling the comforting brush of Zack's calloused thumbs threading along the ridges of her spine. Her SOLDIER's touch, warmth, and mere existence was grounding enough for her to conquer the fear rising in her chest to nothing but a faint hum. Emerald eyes took in the colors, the air that lacked the Mako-stench overflowing in the slums, the comforting heat of sun rays on her skin; it all felt so… _good_.

A black bird suddenly streaked through the sky, it's feathered wings soaring into the blue and instead of fear, it looked freeing. Her panic forgotten with the beautiful visuals and the familiar and tender pressure of Zack's arms and warmth encircling her and knowing for certain with him there, nothing could ever hurt her.

This moment right here would be treasured and kept under lock and key deep inside her heart for the days and weeks to follow that she couldn't be with him. Knowing he was leaving soon and just how dangerous his job was, Aerith was finally realizing that these may be some of the last moments she'd ever spend with him and another more terrifying type of fear began abruptly bursting through her defenses.

"So, what's your verdict, babe? It's not so bad, is it?" Zack finally asked, breaking her out of her depressing circle of thoughts.

Aerith turned away from the sky to look back at him.

The sounds of the nearby town, the bustling roads and people faded as she studied her boyfriend's face. Straight white teeth flashing dashingly from his playful smirk, spiky raven hair drifting along an invincible breeze and she could _never_ get over those magnificent eyes who looked at her with nothing but genuine love and affection. Her own love for this incredible man making her feel all the more brave in her response.

Aerith shook her head; timid smile growing on her face when she finally responded, "…With you here, it isn't bad at all."

If it was possible, his smile only grew wider.

There was always so much uncertainty in her life - Zack's upcoming deployment, her fear for his safety and when she could see him again. How her flowers would sell tomorrow and if her mother could afford this month's bills were constant fears - but from the safety of her boyfriend's arms - the only thing Aerith knew for certain was that the beauty of Zack's sapphire eyes easily put the sky to shame.

… _not that she'd ever be brave enough to tell him that…_

**Author's Note:**

> ZACK IS ALIVE IN THE FF7 REMAKE! I still fucking can't get over it! T_T


End file.
